LEVEL 1—Introduction to Water Skills- Helps students to begin developing positive attitudes, good swimming habits and safe practices in and around the water.
Skills to be Taught: Basic water safety rules, submerging mouth, nose and eyes. Opening eyes underwater and picking up a submerged object. Swimming on front and back using arm and leg actions, discuss and demonstrate how to use a life jacket. Exhaling underwater, bobbing, and floating on front and back.
Safety Topics: How to stay safe in and around the water, and how to recognize an emergency and call for help.
LEVEL 2—Fundamental Aquatic Skills- Gives students success with fundamental skills, including learning how to float without support and to recover to a vertical position. Must be able to fully submerge face comfortably
Skills to be Taught: Enter and exit water independently, submerge entire head, and blow bubbles with opened eyes independently. Floating on front with face in the water unsupported, float on back unsupported. Change direction of travel while paddling on front or back and treading water.
Safety Topics: To be safe in and around the water, including the use of life jackets, recognizing lifeguards and practicing sun safety.
LEVEL 3—Stroke Development- Builds on the skills in level 2 by providing additional guided practice in deep water.
Skills to be Taught: Jumping into deep water from the side, bobbing to safety, entering head first from the side in a sitting or kneeling position. Rotary breathing, survival float, back float. Changing from vertical to horizontal position on front and back. Flutter, scissor, dolphin and breaststroke kicks on front. Front crawl and elementary backstroke.
Safety Topics: “Look before you leap,” perform a simple non swimming assist and how to recognize, prevent, and respond in cold water emergencies.
LEVEL 4—Stroke Improvement- Develop confidence in the strokes learned in level 3 and improve other aquatic skills.
Skills to be Taught: Headfirst entries from the side in a compact and stride position. Swimming underwater, feet first surface dive, survival swimming, front crawl and backstroke open turns, and treading water using two different kicks. Front and back crawl, elementary backstroke, breaststroke, sidestroke & butterfly. Flutter and dolphin kicks on back.
Safety Topics: What to do when exhausted or caught in a dangerous situation. Recreational water illnesses - what they are and how to prevent them.
LEVEL 5—Stroke Refinement- Provides further coordination and refinement of strokes.
Skills to be Taught: Shallow-angle dive from the side then glide and begin a front stroke. Tuck and pike surface dives, submerge completely. Front flip turn and backstroke flip turn while swimming. Front and back crawl, elementary backstroke, breaststroke, sidestroke and butterfly.
Safety Topics: Review above topics, how to call for help and the importance of knowing first aid and CPR.
Level 6 - Fitness swimming Refines the strokes so that students swim with ease, efficiency, and power.
Skills to be Taught: Endurance swimming in the following strokes: front crawl, back crawl, butterfly, elementary backstroke, breaststroke, and sidestroke. Refine open turns and flip turns for all strokes. Fitness swimming etiquette, proper usage of pull buoy, fins, pace clock, and paddles. Principles of setting up a fitness program and learning how to calculate heart rate.